


Captain's Orders

by turkish_delight



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Established Relationship, Five Year Mission, Fluff, M/M, One-Shot, competent crew, mild h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-13
Packaged: 2018-06-08 05:22:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6840601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/turkish_delight/pseuds/turkish_delight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirk and an away team have beamed aboard a rogue Tellarite trade vessel to investigate some suspicious activity.<br/>The mission doesn't go as planned, which really isn't anything new.</p><p>[AKA: This is how I write fluff.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Captain's Orders

\----

Kirk drags himself forward, groaning and coughing as acrid gas floods his eyes, nose, lungs. He struggles to reach his communicator, which had been knocked out of his hands when the last blast shook through the failing Tellarite cargo ship.

He taps it on, strains to get words out through the burning air,  
"Kirk to... Ent- agh- Enterprise," he chokes out, straining to see where the Tellarite security officer had fallen. He needs those keys, dammit.  
"Captain!" Uhura's urgent voice rings through the communicator, "We're locked on to your communicator signal, we'll beam you out-"  
"No! No, not- yet--" Kirk insists, as the noxious gas all but blinds him in one eye. He finds the security officer flat on the ground, face-up, already dead. He hastily closes the humanoid's eyelids before searching him for the key to the cargo bay, "Aha! Got-" he wheezes, clutching the keys tight as he breaks for the door, "-got it! Beam back the rest of the away team first. I'll only need a minute."  
The air is foul in the Tellarite ship's cargo bay, but blissfully less concentrated than it was in the hallway. Jim supposes he has about thirty seconds before it, too, becomes noxious, and maybe a minute until it is unbreathable altogether.  
"Captain..!" he hears Uhura protest through the communicator.  
"Dammit, Jim!" McCoy's voice cuts in, "That ship's about to blow to pieces! To hell with the mission!"

"Quiet, Bones." Kirk replies sternly, straining to read the numbers on his tricorder as he scans the crates in the room. One crate, about three meters wide and one meter across and up, is giving off higher energy readings than the rest.

"Life signs?" Kirk asks, starting to strain with the air again.  
"Still inconclusive, Sir" Chekov's voice this time, "The gravometric interference is throwing off all our sensors."  
"Captain, I recommend you evacuate now. The Tellarite ship is losing hull integrity at an alarming rate." Spock adds, voice clipped. His 'recommendation' sounds more like a plea to Jim, so he really does feel badly about refusing.  
"One- one more minute," the Captain insists, steadying himself after another system failure jostles the entire ship, and the gas pours faster into the cargo bay. He swears he hears a whimper from inside the box, but the noise might very well have been his own. The ship trembles as he struggles with the lock, flames break out from within control panels on the walls, and the gas is beginning to dig blinding pain into his temples.

McCoy's voice this time, "Jim, I swear to God you get your ass off that ship-"  
"Keptin! Hull integrity is at 34%-"

Kirk would have sighed in relief when the lock finally clicks open, if not for the fact that he was already wheezing for air. With a sleeve over his mouth and eyes squinting to see through the haze, he discovers the cargo which was so valuable to these rogue Tellarite traders. He feels a burst of hot adrenaline and practically rips off the lid so the Enterprise's transporter can lock on.

"Six to beam up."

\---

" _Kids_ , Spock," the Captain repeats in Medbay, still furious even hours after his return to the Enterprise.

McCoy and Spock had been waiting when Kirk was finally transported onboard, accompanied by five small humanoid children who were in various stages of shock. All of them were covered in soot, eyes red, gasping and coughing in the clean air. In a blue-clad flurry of well-practiced activity, McCoy had his team scoop up each child and deliver them to Medbay for immediate treatment. Jim Kirk, of course, insisted that he be the last to be seen to.  
The Captain had suffered a direct blow to the head, bruised ribs, and - as did the children - had some nasty chemical damage to his corneas and lungs. Thanks to McCoy's "magic healing abilities" - ie; dedication to his education in med school and the blessings of 23rd Century technology - he would be up and ready to return for light duty within a day.  
At the moment, however, he really needed to rest.

Doctor McCoy runs a medical scanner along Kirk's ribs while he fumes, "Those- they were trafficking _children_ , Bones!"  
"I know, Jim. And you saved them even when our sensors couldn't detect 'em. Now sit still." Jim doesn't even seem to notice when the doctor presses another hypospray to his neck. McCoy frowns and pushes a cup of water into Kirk's hands, "Jim you gotta calm down. The kids're stable now. They're gonna be okay."

"Okay?" the Captain scoffs, "After that kind of trauma?"  
"Yes," Spock cuts in sternly, "Captain, we will ensure the children receive proper care and recovery resources. Moreover, four of the five have already been identified as missing persons and will be able to return to their families."  
Jim stills, looking up at his statuesque First Officer from where he sits on the biobed, "...and the fifth?"  
Spock's mouth twitches into a reluctant frown, "The fifth will likely be placed into foster care on the nearest Federation planet."  
"The nearest... thats's..." Kirk leans backward with a groan and shuts his eyes, trying to remember which planet would be closest to their current location.  
McCoy shares a concerned glance with Spock. The fumes must've gotten to their Captain more than he admits, but finally Kirk exhales with a, "Damn, that's Thoreau VII. Spock, we can't leave a kid on Thoreau VII."  
Spock doesn't argue. Thoreau VII is notoriously unstable, both politically and geologically. Certainly not an ideal location for a traumatized orphan child.

"This kid's our responsibility right now," Kirk says with the energy and certainty which got him so far and endeared him to his crew, "We'll finish up this survey and head back to Earth with the fifth child. Mr. Spock, assign a room for them during the trip. And assign someone to watch over them- maybe Rand. I think she'd like that."  
His First Officer gives him a smug not-smile and Kirk's entire face lights up with understanding, "You've done it all already, haven't you?"  
Spock raises a brow and tucks his hands professionally behind his back, "I may have.. anticipated your decision. And you may be interested to know that Ensign Rand actively volunteered for the task."

McCoy smirks and rolls his tired eyes while his best friends- his colleagues- his goddamn annoying neighbors- stare at each other like they're the single most valuable thing in the observable universe.  
McCoy watches the medical tricorder as Jim's heart rate slows from its agitated pace, and he finally lays his head back against the biobed with a grin, "Thanks, Spock."  
Spock nods once at the Captain, meets McCoy's eyes to acknowledge his teasing "I-saw-that-emotion-on-your-face"-expression, and unabashedly brushes his fingers against the back of Jim's wrist as he moves to leave the room.  
"Love you too, Spock," Jim says, eyes sparkling, heart overflowing.

"Me three, Spocky!" McCoy calls after him, and earns a quick jab in the side from Jim, who's stifling a laugh.  
Spock just tilts his head back noncommittally to raise a brow at the Doctor; a "please, spare me" expression which sends both him and the Captain into a fit of laughter. Without another word, Spock steps into the turbolift to return to the bridge.  
McCoy's chest tightens with a surge of fondness for Jim, and, alright, for the pointy-eared dumb-haircutted gargoyle who loves, and is loved by, him.  
Finally the laughter dies down, and Jim sighs out a well-earned yawn. Still watching the monitor, McCoy waits as his Captain's breathing slows, and settles into a light sleep.

The doctor releases the knot in his chest with a sigh and moves to dim the lights.  
He casts one final glance at the resting Captain, and steps out of the room.

\----

**Author's Note:**

> [That's all for this fic. It was quick and enjoyable to write, hopefully quick and enjoyable to read as well.  
> I'm a big fan of Established Relationship Spirk, and a big fan of McCoy being McCoy. Also really like when the rest of the crew is at least acknowledged in fic (and in canon).  
> If you know any good fics which include a competent and unified crew, hmu. I need more.  
> Live long and prosper, my friends.]


End file.
